The Fastmail Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Fastmail in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Fastmail
The Insider’s Guide
Paid, ad-free email with calendar, contacts and custom domains
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among email apps, read from Fastmail’s own pages.
Made by Fastmail Pty Ltd · checked Oct 5, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Fastmail’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Fastmail’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 5, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.8
GPA, above 36 of the 51 other email apps we grade
Fastmail is a paid email service with its own calendar, contacts and file storage, run by an independent company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. There is no free plan and there are no ads. Plans for one person, two people or a family include custom domains, Masked Email addresses and apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, and the business plans add shared addresses, shared calendars and a company address book.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Fastmail, taken from its own pages and our grades.
That's the iPhone and iPad app, not the whole service.
- 1
Best for paid private email on your own domain
Fastmail is email you pay for, with no ads.
- 2
Paid plans start at $3 a month for each person
As its pricing page puts it: $3 per user / month, billed yearly (Basic); Individual is $5, billed yearly.
- 3
You can try it first
30-day free trial, no credit card required
- 4
It runs on 6 platforms
Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.
- 5
Custom domains and extra addresses
Use domains you own for your addresses, buy one through Fastmail, or pick one of its free domains. Fastmail says each account can create hundreds of additional addresses.
- 6
Masked Email
Creates stand-in addresses so that sign-up forms and logins never see your real one. A Masked Email API lets password managers create them too.
- 7
Offline apps on every platform
Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, plus a browser app. Offline, you can read, draft and search mail and manage calendars and contacts.
- 8
A 2.8 GPA, above 36 of 51
That is against the other email apps we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Fastmail you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Fastmail at a glance
- Pricing
- Free trial, from $3 per user / month, billed yearly (Basic); Individual is $5, billed yearly
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 30-day free trial, no credit card required
- Runs on
- Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Fastmail Pty Ltd, since 1999
- Category
- Email Apps
- Our grade
- 2.8 GPA, good
- Store rating
- 3.8 on the App Store, 579 ratings
The report card
Best for paid private email on your own domain
Fastmail is email you pay for, with no ads. Individual is $5 a month on yearly billing for 60 GB, your own domain, Masked Email addresses for sign-up forms and apps on every platform. There's no free plan after the 30-day trial and no refund for unused time, the iPhone app sits at 3.8 on the App Store, the $3 Basic plan drops custom domains, and extra storage costs more.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | B | Individual is $5 a month billed yearly ($60), or $6 monthly, for ad-free email with 60 GB, custom domains and Masked Email, and Family covers 6 people for $11. The $3 Basic plan drops to 6 GB with no custom domains, Snooze or outside mail apps. Prices exclude tax. |
| Free plan and trial | C | No free plan. There's a 30-day free trial with no credit card required. After that every account is paid, and Fastmail doesn't refund unused subscription time. |
| Features | B | Custom domains with hundreds of extra addresses, Masked Email for sign-up forms, snooze, Scheduled Send, calendar and contacts, and JMAP, IMAP, POP, CalDAV and CardDAV so other apps can read it all. The mail job is covered, with an import tool for your old mail. |
| Ease of use | C | 3.8 from about 580 App Store ratings, below most mail apps. That's the iPhone and iPad app, not the whole service. An import tool moves mail, calendars and contacts over from another provider. |
| Platforms and integrations | A | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone and Android, all working offline. It opens in Apple Mail, Outlook and Thunderbird, connects to 1Password and Dropbox, and has a documented API. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Fastmail is for
- Fits if you're leaving free, ad-funded email and want your own domain
- Works for households of up to 6 people sharing one plan at $11 a month on yearly billing
Who it is not for
- Skip it if you won't pay for email, as there's no free plan after the 30-day trial
- Not for you if the phone app matters most, given its 3.8 App Store rating
- Tight if you pick Basic, which has 6 GB a user and leaves out custom domains, Snooze, Scheduled Send and outside apps
- Watch out: Fastmail doesn't refund unused subscription time, and listed prices exclude tax
- Pricey if you need more than 60 GB, as extra storage is a paid add-on up to 300 GB a user
Good to know
Good for
- People leaving free, ad-funded email for a paid private service
- Using your own domain for personal or family addresses
- Small businesses that want email without a full office suite
Worth knowing
- There is no free plan. After the 30-day trial every account is paid, and Fastmail does not refund unused subscription time.
- The Basic business plan has 6 GB per user and leaves out custom domains, Scheduled Send, Snooze and third-party mail apps.
- Storage beyond the plan allowance is a paid add-on, up to 300 GB per user.
- Listed prices are tax-exclusive.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$3
A month to start, for each person
Fastmail is a paid product with a free trial, starting at $3 per user / month, billed yearly (Basic); Individual is $5, billed yearly.
After that every account is paid, and Fastmail doesn't refund unused subscription time.
Basic
$3
per user / month, billed yearly ($36); $4 billed monthly
Business plan with 6 GB of storage per user, shared addresses and shared calendars. Custom domains, Snooze and third-party mail apps need Standard.
Individual
$5
per month, billed yearly ($60); $6 billed monthly
One private inbox with 60 GB of total storage, custom domains, Masked Email, offline support and access from third-party mail apps.
Standard
$5
per user / month, billed yearly ($60); $6 billed monthly
Business plan with 60 GB per user, addresses at a custom domain, shared addresses and calendars, Scheduled Send and third-party app access.
Duo
$8
per month for 2 people, billed yearly ($96); $10 monthly
Two private inboxes with 60 GB each, plus addresses, calendars and an address book the two can share.
Professional
$9
per user / month, billed yearly ($108); $10 billed monthly
Everything in Standard with 150 GB of storage per user and an email retention archive for legal compliance.
Family
$11
per month for up to 6 people, billed yearly ($132); $14 monthly
Up to six private inboxes with 60 GB each at a flat rate, with controls for managing users' storage, privacy and security.
Trying it first
30-day free trial, no credit card required
Read from fastmail.com on Oct 5, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Save $12 a year on Individual with yearly billing
Individual costs $60 for 12 months, the equivalent of $5 a month, against $6 when billed monthly. Paying yearly saves $24 on Duo, $36 on Family and $12 per user on the business plans.
Stated on fastmail.comOther savings
Lower rates on 2- and 3-year terms
Paying for 24 or 36 months up front brings Individual to $114 or $168, the equivalent of $4.75 or $4.67 a month. The other plans have the same two- and three-year options.
Stated on fastmail.com
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Fastmail Monthly Plan”, against $6.49 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ₺69,99 | $1.42 | 78% less |
| Philippines | ₱ 309.00 | $4.92 | 24% less |
| Indonesia | Rp 99ribu | $5.54 | 15% less |
| Canada | $7.99 | $5.62 | 13% less |
| Brazil | R$ 34,90 | $6.97 | 7% more |
| Germany | 6,99 € | $7.83 | 21% more |
| Mexico | $149.00 | $8.19 | 26% more |
| United Kingdom | £6.49 | $8.58 | 32% more |
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
6
Places it runs: Web, macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android
Paid, ad-free email with calendar, contacts and custom domains. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: works offline, public API, calendar, email client.
The mail job is covered, with an import tool for your old mail.
- Custom domains and extra addresses
- Use domains you own for your addresses, buy one through Fastmail, or pick one of its free domains. Fastmail says each account can create hundreds of additional addresses.
- Masked Email
- Creates stand-in addresses so that sign-up forms and logins never see your real one. A Masked Email API lets password managers create them too.
- Offline apps on every platform
- Apps for Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android, plus a browser app. Offline, you can read, draft and search mail and manage calendars and contacts.
- Snooze, Scheduled Send and pinning
- Snooze messages until they are needed, schedule sends for later, pin important messages to the top of the inbox and mute threads you do not want to follow.
- Calendar and contacts
- A built-in calendar with shared calendars and event invitations that can also display Google and iCloud calendars, and a contact list with VIP-only notifications.
- Open protocols and import
- Mail is reachable over JMAP, IMAP and POP, contacts over CardDAV and calendars over CalDAV. An import tool moves mail, calendars and contacts from another provider.
Where it runs
- Web
- macOS
- Windows
- Linux
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
- 1Password
- Dropbox
- Google Calendar
- iCloud
- Microsoft Outlook
- Apple Mail
- Mozilla Thunderbird
Fastmail is made by Fastmail Pty Ltd, and has been around since 1999.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
36/51
Other email apps it is graded above
Fastmail's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 36 of the 51 other email apps we grade, and level with 4.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (A, above 41 of 51) and worst on ease of use (C, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $3 a month for each person, against a middle price of $4.99 for the category: 9 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 2 tools score higher and cost less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 52 email apps we grade, cut by the letter each got. Fastmail’s own letter is outlined.
- BValue for moneyAbove 29 of 51
- CFree plan and trialAbove 4 of 51
- BFeaturesAbove 30 of 51
- CEase of useAbove 0 of 51
- APlatforms and integrationsAbove 41 of 51
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 50 email apps. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Fastmail is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Fastmail you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
It is one of the better ones too: its GPA of 2.8 is higher than 36 of the 51 other email apps we grade. It costs $36 a year.
What you could make
- Calendar: an app builder makes this well.
What you could not
- An email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
- Apps for macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android that stay in step with each other.
- It is priced for each person, which means accounts and billing for a team.
- It plugs into other products, 1Password, Dropbox and Google Calendar among them, and has an API.
- The depth: we grade its features B, which means it covers the whole job.
What this rests on. Fastmail’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Proton Mail, HEY, Gmail, Tuta Mail and mailbox
The 5 tools Fastmail is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 3.0GPA
Proton Mail
Free plan · from $3.99/mo
End-to-end encrypted email service based in Switzerland.
- Proton Mail has a free plan. Fastmail does not, though it has a free trial.
- Proton Mail is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 2.4GPA
HEY
Free trial · from $99/yr
Email service and calendar with sender screening, from 37signals.
- HEY also covers templates.
- 3.0GPA
Gmail
Free plan · from $7/mo
Google's email service, free for personal use with 15 GB of storage.
- Gmail has a free plan. Fastmail does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Fastmail lists Windows, macOS and Linux apps.
- Fastmail also covers calendar.
- 2.8GPA
Tuta Mail
Free plan · from €3/mo
End-to-end encrypted email and calendar from Germany.
- Tuta Mail has a free plan. Fastmail does not, though it has a free trial.
- Tuta Mail is open source and end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- 2.6GPA
mailbox
Free trial · from €1/mo
Paid, ad-free email with cloud storage and office tools from Germany.
- Only Fastmail lists Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android apps.
- mailbox is end-to-end encrypted, according to its own site.
- mailbox also covers tasks, documents, video calls and file sync.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Fastmail free?
No, Fastmail is a paid product, but you can try it first. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.
How much does Fastmail cost?
Fastmail lists 6 plans. Basic: $3 per user / month, billed yearly ($36); $4 billed monthly.
What platforms does Fastmail work on?
Fastmail is available on Web, Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS and Android.
Does Fastmail offer any discounts?
Fastmail publicly lists the following: Save $12 a year on Individual with yearly billing; Lower rates on 2- and 3-year terms.
How is Fastmail rated?
Fastmail's iPhone and iPad app averages 3.8 out of 5 from 579 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Is Fastmail open source?
Fastmail is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 5, 2026.
Does Fastmail work offline?
Yes, according to its own site. What works without a connection differs by plan and platform, so check the vendor's page for the detail.
Does Fastmail have an API?
Yes. Fastmail offers a public API, according to its own site.
What does Fastmail integrate with?
Fastmail's listing names 1Password, Dropbox, Google Calendar, iCloud, Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird.
Who makes Fastmail?
Fastmail is made by Fastmail Pty Ltd. It dates from 1999.
What are the alternatives to Fastmail?
The closest alternatives to Fastmail in our directory are Proton Mail, HEY, Gmail, Tuta Mail and mailbox.
How does Fastmail compare with other email apps?
Fastmail's GPA of 2.8 is higher than 36 of the 51 other email apps we grade, and level with 4.
Is Fastmail good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Fastmail B for value for money. Its paid plans start at $3 a month for each person, against a middle price of $4.99 for the category: 9 of the 45 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Fastmail?
To replace Fastmail you would be making an email client: sending, receiving, threading and searching years of mail.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Fastmail’s own pages on Oct 5, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Fastmail's own pages on 5 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-03-09.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Fastmail Pty Ltd. Prices change, so check fastmail.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Fastmail, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/fastmail
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Fastmail: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 5, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/fastmail
Know someone choosing between email apps?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/fastmail/guide
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See our other guides
The best-graded email apps after Fastmail, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Email Apps Insider's GuideEvery one of the 52 email apps we grade, compared
- Microsoft Outlook Insider's GuideMicrosoft's email and calendar app for desktop, mobile and web3.6 GPA
- BlueMail Insider's GuideCross-platform email client with a unified inbox and built-in AI3.2 GPA
- Thunderbird Insider's GuideFree, open-source email app for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Fastmail’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Fastmail is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Fastmail Pty Ltd. Prices and plans change: check fastmail.com before you buy.